title: Sn doping induced enhancement in the activity of ZnO nanostructures against antibiotic resistant S. aureus bacteria.
abstract: Highly ionic metal oxide nanostructures are attractive, not only for their physiochemical properties but also for antibacterial activity. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures are known to have inhibitory activity against many pathogens but very little is known about doping effects on it. The antibacterial activity of undoped ZnO and tin (Sn) doped ZnO nanostructures synthesized by a simple, versatile, and wet chemical technique have been investigated against Escherichia coli, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial strains. It has been interestingly observed that Sn doping enhanced the inhibitory activity of ZnO against S. aureus more efficiently than the other two bacterial strains. From cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production studies it is found that Sn doping concentration in ZnO does not alter the cytotoxicity and ROS production very much. It has also been observed that undoped and Sn doped ZnO nanostructures are biosafe and biocompatible materials towards SH-SY5Y Cells. The observed behavior of ZnO nanostructures with Sn doping is a new way to prevent bacterial infections of S. aureus, especially on skin, when using these nanostructures in creams or lotions in addition to their sunscreen property as an ultraviolet filter. Structural investigations have confirmed the formation of a single phase wurtzite structure of ZnO. The morphology of ZnO nanostructures is found to vary from spherical to rod shaped as a function of Sn doping. The excitation absorption peak of ZnO is observed to have a blue shift, with Sn doping leading toward a significant tuning in band gap.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Nanoscience and Technology, Department of Physics, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Tariq
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jan
authors.forename: Javed
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iqbal
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zakaullah
authors.forename: Sajjad Haider
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Naqvi
authors.forename: Noor
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Badshah
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010316:Particle Size; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014001:Tin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D014001:Tin; D015034:Zinc Oxide
keywords: S. aureus; Sn doped ZnO; antibacterial activity; nanostructures